Electrical contact device.



No. 755,782. PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

Y J. LINDALL.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

H II

WZZIZGJSflJ. I [220612 60)? UNITED STATES Patented March Q9, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRICAL CONTACT DEV ICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.'-755,782, dated March 29, 1904.

Application filed October 8,1903.

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LINDALL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electrical Contact Devices, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an electrical con tact device especially designed and adapted for use on electric railways operating on the underneath-trolley or third-rail system.

The contact device is particularly well adapted for use on the cars of elevated railways, and has for its object to provide a contact device which is simple in construction, efficient in operation, and one with which the noise occasioned by such device in use is reduced to a minimum. For this purpose I employ a contact piece or shoe which when not in engagement with the conductor or third 'rail is rendered practically fixed, but is free to be moved vertically by engagement with the third rail or conductor, and when in engagement with the third rail said contact-shoe is held from bodily lateral and longitudinal movements. In this manner the noise caused by the contact-shoes is reduced to a minimum, as is also the wear and tear upon the parts, and, further,a superior electrical connection is obtained. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sufficient portion of an electrically operated car provided with a contact device embodying this invention to enable it to be understood; Fig. 2, a

Serial No. 176,195. (No model.)

and may be of any suitable or usual construction, such as now employed on electric railways, .in which the current is supplied to the motors (not herein shown) from a conductor or third rail d. (Shown only in Fig. 3.) The conductor or third rail 03 has cooperating with it a contact device or shoe, preferably made as herein shown and consisting of a bar 6, of steel, having upturned ends or arms f, which may be rounding or curved, as herein shown, and from which extend flanges g, provided with side lugs'or cars it, forming channels, grooves, or recesses 20 for a purpose as will be described. The contact-shoe is supported by hangers or stirrups c', secured to a beam or bar fastened to the journal-boxes 7c of the car-truck. The stirrups i may be made as herein shown, and each is provided with two substantially parallel upright arms 10 12, connected by a horizontal arm 13, the arm 10 being secured to the shoe-beam j by bolts or screws on. The upright arms 10 12 of the stirrup are separated a sufficient distance to permit the shoe 6 to rise and fall freely. The contact-shoe eis held in engagement with the cross-arms 13 of the stirrups when not in contact with the third rail and in yielding engagement with the latter by a spring, which may and preferably will be made as herein shown and consists of a substantially elliptical spring composed of an upper member or leaf n and a lower member or leaf 0. The lower member 0 is of a width substantially equal to the width of the grooves or channels 20 in the flangesg on the contactshoe, so as to fit snugly therein, and thereby connect the spring with the contactshoe, whereby the said contact-shoe is practically locked against lateral movement bodily and is prevented from engaging the uprights 1O 12 of the stirrups as the contact-shoe is moved vertically, yet is capable of tilting to conform to an irregular or worn upper surface of the third rail. The upper member a of the leafspring is secured to the under side of the shoebeam as by the screw or bolt 15, and bears against the lower part 16 of an angle-iron, the upright part 17 of which is fastened to the beam j by the bolts m and electrically connects the stirrups 2'. One of the stirrups may and preferably will extend above the upper surface of the shoe-beam and is provided with a flange 18, (see Figs. 2, 3, and 6,) which rests on the upper surface of said beam and affords means for attaching an electrical eondnctor 19, which leads from the stirrup to the motor on the ear and not herein shown. By extending the stirrup over the shoe-beam the conductor 19 may be secured to the truck, so as to become a practically rigid conductor, thereby avoiding the danger of interruptions in the service due to the use of flexible conductors, which are free to move independent of the car-truck, and also effecting a considerable saving in the cost of repairs and maintenance of such conductors.

As represented in Figs. 1 and 2, the contactshoe is in the position it occupies when not in engagement with the third rail (Z, and when in this position it is to be observed that the flanges g of the shoe are forced by the spring 02. 0 into engagement with the cross-arms 13 of the stirrups and that the upturned ends or arms 7" also engage the stirrups, thereby practically locking said shoe from longitudinal and lateral movements and maintaining the shoe in a fixed position. The upturned ends or arms f are preferably made curved or rounding, especially at their lower part, where they join the bar a or shoe proper, so that the said shoe may engage the third rail with the car moving in either direction without danger of the shoe jumping, thereby avoiding the formation of an are between the shoe and third rail. When the contact-shoe engages the third rail, it is forced upward against the action of the spring and into substantially the position shown in Fig. 3, and on its upward movement the shoe is guided in a substantially vertical direction by the substantially flat spring, which restrains the said shoe from moving bodily laterally, and'thereby prevents it from rubbing against the upright arms of the stirrup, consequently avoiding noise which would result from contact of the shoe with the upright arms of the stirrups. It will further be observed that the contact-shoe is held in engagement with the third rail by spring-pressure, which insures good electrical connection between the contact-shoe and the third rail and reduces to a minimum the wear and tear on the shoe and rail due to the formation of arcs between the same. So, also, it will be seen that while the contact-shoe is free to rise when it meets the third rail and to fall when it leaves the same it moves at all times as a practically rigid bod y-that is, its connection with the cartruck is a practically rigid one-and as a reresult the noise and wear due to loose joints is avoided or at least reduced to a minimum.

1 have herein shown the hangers or stirrups as secured to a beam fastened to the journalboxes; but I do not desire to limit my invention in this respect, as the support for the hangers may be otherwise located.

It is to be observed that when the contactshoe is out of engagement with the third rail, as represented in Fig. 2, it is forced by the spring into engagement with the crossbars 13 of the hangers and is restrained from lateral movement thereon by the spring a u and that when the said shoe is in engagement with the third rail, as represented in Fig. 3, it is controlled as to its lateral movement by the spring and as to its longitudinal movement by the hangers or stirrups and yet is free to tilt laterallyin either direction on the rail to accommodate itself to a rail whose upper surface is inclined or irregular and is free to tilt vertically at either end to accommodate itself to uneven or irregular rails or sections of said rail.

I claim- 1. The combination with a car-truck and a shoe-beam carried thereby, of stirrups or hangers secured to said shoe-beam, a'contactshoe interposed between said stirrups and provided with arms having flanges normally resting on said stirrups and provided with channels or pockets, and a leaf-spring secured to said shoe-beam and engaging the channeled flanges of said shoe,substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car-truck and a shoe-beam carried thereby, of a contact-shoe, stirrups or hangers secured to said shoe-beam and normally supporting said contact-shoe, and a flexible conductor secured to one of said stirrups or hangers, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a car-truck, of a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor, a support for said shoe when disengaged from said conductor, said shoe being disconnected from said support and when unrestrained capable of bodily movement vertically and laterally with relation to said support, and a spring connected with said shoe to maintain it in engagement with said support when said shoe is disengaged from said conductor and to restrain said shoe from bodily movement laterally when engaged with or disengaged from said conductor, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a car-trucl:, of a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor, means to support said shoe when disengaged from said conductor and to lock the same against longitudinal movement, and a spring connected with said shoe to maintain it in engagement with said supporting means when the said shoe is disengaged from said conductor and to restrain said shoe from bodily movement laterally when engaged with or disengaged from said conductor.

5. The combination with a car-truck, of a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor, means to lock said shoe from longitudinal movement when disengaged from said conductor and yet permit of bodily movement of said shoe vertically and when u'nrestrained laterally, and yielding means connected with said shoe for restraining it from bodily lateral movement when engaged with or disengaged from said conductor, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contactwith a third rail or conductor and having a bodily and pivotal movement in a substantially vertical direction, means connected with said shoe to maintain it in engagement with said conductor with a yielding pressure and to restrain said shoe from bodily movement laterally, and means to restrain said shoe from longitudinal movement when disengaged from said conductor, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor and having a bodily and pivotal movement in a substantially vertical direction, a spring connected with said shoe to maintain it in engagement with said conductor with a yielding pressure and to restrain it from bodily movement laterally, and stirrups or hangers for supporting said shoe between them when the latter is disengaged from said conductor, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a contactshoe adapted to engage a third rail or conductor and capable of being moved bodily in a substantially vertical direct-ion, a substantially flat spring engaging the opposite ends of said shoe to maintain it in engagement with said conductor with a yielding pressure, and stirrups or hangers to support said shoe when disengaged from said conductor, substantially as described.

9. The combination with -a contact-shoe comprisinga substantially flat bar 6 provided with upturned arms f having longitudinallygrooved flanges g, of .a' leaf-spring fitted into the grooved flanges of said shoe to maintain the said shoe in engagement with a third rail or conductor with a yielding pressure, and stirrups or hangers to engage said flanges and support said shoe when disengaged from said conductor, substantially as described.

10. The combination with a car-truck, of a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor, a support for said shoe to sustain 1t when disengaged from said ra1l or conductor and to restrain sald shoe from longitudinal movement and yet permit a tilting strain it from bodily movement laterally when disengaged from said rail or conductor and to permit said shoe to tilt laterally when in engagemefnt with said rail or conductor, substantially as described. v

11. The combination with a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor and having a bodily and pivotal movement in a substantially vertical direction, stationary stirrups or hangers to support said shoe and to lock it against longitudinal movement when said shoe is disengaged from said conductor, and a spring connected with said shoe to hold it in yielding engagement with said conductor and to restrain said shoe from bodily movement laterally, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor and having a bodily and pivotal movement in a substantially vertical direction, and stationary means to engage the said shoe above its contacting face and support the said shoe when disengaged from its conductor, the said shoe being moved upward from said supporting means by its engagement with said conductor, and yielding means connected with said shoe to restrain it from bodily movement laterally when disengaged from said conductor, subtantially as described.

13. The combination with a contact-shoe having a substantially flat face to make a sliding contact with the upper surface of a third rail or conductor and provided with substantially vertical arms having substantially horizontal flanges, stationary supports or hangers upon which said flanges rest when the shoe is disengaged from said conductor and with which one of the vertical arms of said shoe engages when the shoe is in engagement with said conductor, and yielding means to resist the upward movement of the contact-shoe and to normally force the flanges of said shoe downward into engagement with the stationary support, substantially'as described.

14. The combination with a car-truck, of stirrups or hangers secured thereto, a contact shoe having a substantially flat face adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor and interposed between said hangers, said shoe being separate from said hangers and capable of bodily movement vertically and when unrestrained laterally with relation to said hangers, and a spring connected with said shoe to maintain it in engagement with said hangers when the said shoe is disengaged from said third rail and to restrain said shoe from lateral movement bodily both when said shoe is disengaged from said rail and when engaged therewith, substantially as described.

15. The combination with a contact-shoe adapted to make a sliding contact with a third rail or conductor and consisting of a bar having upturned arms provided With flanges substantially parallel with said bar, of stirrups or hangers separated from each other and each provided With substantially parallel arms connected by a substantially horizontal bar, upon which the flanges of the shoe rest When disengaged from its said conductor, and a spring connected With said flanges to restrain said shoe from bodily movement laterally When engaged With or disengaged from said conduc- I tor, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN LINDALL. Witnesses:

JAS. H. CHURCHILL, J. lVIURlI-IY. 

